Dressed-Up Black Beans and Rice

Dressed-Up Black Beans and Rice: A simple take on black beans and rice with lots of added veggies. Top with sliced avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or cheese and serve over spinach and/or rice for a hearty vegetarian meal.

As I’ve ventured more into vegetarian cooking over the past few years, I knew it was only a matter of time before I came up with my own version of classic rice and beans. My mom makes awesome Cuban black beans & rice, but her recipe calls for dried beans that have to be soaked overnight, plus she uses a stovetop pressure cooker. I wanted to make a quicker, college student friendly version that’s still packed with flavor. This one fits the bill and only takes about 25 minutes to make, start to finish.

I can’t claim that this black beans and rice recipe is “authentic” in any way, but I can claim that it’s delicious, packed with veggies, and one of the heartiest vegetarian meals I’ve ever had. I was going to call it “Simple Black Beans & Rice” but I realize that a truly simple version of this recipe is just black beans right out of the can served over microwave rice (and I’m not knocking that version!).

Mine’s “dressed up” with spices and veggies, and it’s served over spinach and rice and topped with as many additions as you’d like–guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cheese are all great toppings. Step one is sautéing veggies (diced bell pepper, onion, and tomato) and spices together in a large skillet.

Step two is adding tomato paste, broth or water, and drained & rinsed black beans and simmering it all for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Then, it’s ready!Since I’m staying at home for a few weeks this summer, I used my dad and brother as taste-testers because they’re tougher critics for healthy dishes than I am. They’re also major meat eaters and typically don’t enjoy vegetarian meals, but they both gave this vegetarian black beans and rice two thumbs up. They did leave the spinach out of their servings, and they ate it out of cereal bowls. Boys.

If you try the recipe, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!

A simple take on classic black beans and rice with lots of added veggies. Top with sliced avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or cheese and serve over spinach and/or rice for a hearty vegetarian meal.

Servings: 6servings

Author: Liv

Ingredients

1tablespooncooking oil*

1medium onion,diced

1/2cupred or green bell pepper,diced

4medium garlic cloves,minced

2teaspoonschili powder

2teaspoonsgarlic powder

1/4teaspooncayenne pepper

1/2teaspoonsalt,or to taste

1/2cupchopped fresh tomatoes

4tablespoonstomato paste

1cupwater or vegetable broth**

214-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2tablespoonschopped fresh cilantro,stems removed (optional)

Brown rice for serving(I used 1 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked)

Optional: spinach for serving

Instructions

Start brown rice first since it typically cooks for about 40 minutes.

While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add cooking oil. Sauté chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt). Sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes, until veggies are starting to soften.

Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, water or broth, and drained black beans. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce thickens. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water or broth. Add cilantro just before serving, if using.

Serve over brown rice and/or spinach and top with guacamole or sliced avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, or cheese.

Recipe Notes

*I use either refined coconut oil or grapeseed oil since both can handle high heat. **You can substitute chicken broth for a non-vegetarian version.

Comments

ah, boys will be boys. 😉
and love the simple recipe! everyone could use more veggies in their life– now if only all college students thought that! hah.masala girl recently posted…Race for the Cure & Weekly Workouts & Foods

Ooh I’m excited to try this! We are heading into study week for our final exams so I need all the quick and easy recipe inspiration that I can get!
I’ve finally found a brand that makes canned black beans too which makes it even quicker and easier!Megan recently posted…How to lose friends and make people hate you…

It was absolutely wonderful! I had to make a modification due to a food allergy I have (I’m allergic to bell peppers, so I just used half again as much of the onion and carrots) and I used kale rather than spinach and ancho chili powder because that’s what I had on hand. I cut the recipe in half and had half for dinner Friday and just ate half for dinner tonight, with a quarter avocado and a tablespoon of sour cream (and a bit of sriracha). Definitely a keeper and I’ll be making it regularly because it’s easy, healthy, and affordable.=) Thank you so much!

This looks super tasty! We LOVE rice & beans in our house because I’m so frugal. I love the little extras that you added to this version to add more depth of flavor. Can’t wait to try it.Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers recently posted…Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala {Dairy Free!}

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Welcome!

Hi there, I’m Liv! I started blogging during my first year of college at UNC-Chapel Hill to share recipes easy enough for a dorm kitchen. Thankfully, I’m no longer cooking in a dorm, but my goal is still to share simple, delicious recipes that don’t take too much of your time. Most often, you can find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. Read more…